It is with great excitement we announce the appointment of the new Newport Principal, Dr. Laurie Garris to replace Mr. Chris Anderson as he moves back to Beach Park Middle School as an assistant principal. Dr. Garris has been an educator for 27 years. She was a kindergarten teacher and a first grade teacher prior to coming to our district. She has been a classroom teacher and a special education teacher in our district for 25 years. Dr. Garris has served as the Special Education Resource Teacher at Newport Elementary School for the past 17 years. Dr. Garris is a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago where she obtained her B.S. in Early Childhood Education and M. Ed. in Language, Literacy and Specialized Instruction. While working as a teacher, Dr. Garris wanted to continue to grow and continued to pursue her professional goals and obtained degrees in Educational Leadership and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Aurora University. Dr. Garris is a resident of our school district too. She has been married to Steven Garris for 24 years and they have two daughters. Meghan is a sophomore in college and Madelyn is a senior in high school. Both of her daughters attended Newport Elementary School and are graduates of Beach Park Middle School. Dr. Garris knows what it is like to be a Newport School parent and teacher. She is looking forward to working alongside parents and staff to help make our Newport Stars shine!
Dr. Garris will be a great addition to the administrative team in Beach Park and will be able to continue the great work at Newport Elementary School, leading students and staff toward a successful future. We welcome Dr. Garris to the Beach Park Administrative Team and look forward to her leadership in the 2023-2024 school year!
Respectfully,
Dr. Denise A. Wilcox, Interim Superintendent of Beach Park School District #3